An ASTROLOGICAL JOURNEY through the MAJOR ARCANA

24 Pages·2011·0.1 MB·English

An ASTROLOGICAL JOURNEY through the MAJOR ARCANA
Astrological Archetypes and the Tarot Trumps
An Astrological Tarot
Embedded in our night sky are archetypal images, symbols and stories that have enchanted the human
soul for eons. Onto this sanctuaryof the skythe ancients projected their imagination usingstar-patterns to
animate their myths, creating a skyscape that immortalized their deities and heroes. Before history, the
screen of the heavens reflected the archetypal experiences and yearnings of the human psyche serving as a
storybookforcountless generations.
Another imaginative narrative is the Tarot whose engaging illustrations have captured the human
imagination since the Renaissance. Similar to ancient traditions, the Tarot has two mysteryinitiations: the
twenty-two cards of the Major Arcana represent the Greater Mysteries, our encounters with the archetypal
forces that underpin life, while the fifty-six cards of the Minor Arcana reveal the character of our lives.
Astrological archetypes represented by the twelve zodiacal signs and the ten contemporary planets have
been associated with the 22 Major Arcana cards. Like transits or progressions, a card can have a profound
meaning to an individual at significant times of transition. When viewed sequentially the Major Arcana
cards also depict thesoul’s development througha series ofidentifiable archetypal initiations.
The Fool’s Archetypal Journey
The Fool is the soul’s surrogate who travels the path marked out by the Major Arcana. As a pilgrim on
life’s journeythe Fool is the projection of the incarnate soul facing the tests and trials of life. Throughout
the 22 cards of the Major Arcana, the Fool personifies encounters with archetypal forces that help shape
character and influence destiny. Each card demarcates a rite of passage, a life stage or change familiar to
all travelers on the path of individuation. The Major Arcana brings these passages to consciousness
through its twenty-two illustrations, the identical number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet’s twenty-two
paths of wisdom. Not only does the Tarot help to identify these pathways but it also offers insight in
recognizing and dealing with each stage. The added dimension of the astrological images awakens the
imaginationtobringa greater claritytotheTarot journey.
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0 THE FOOL: Uranus, Herald of Change
Innocent and unaware of the initiations and lessons that lie ahead, the Fool is poised to step into the abyss
that marks the first stage of his unfolding journey into self-understanding. He is ready to follow a dream,
a hunch or a sign wherever it might lead. His card is numbered zero, as he is outside the ‘pack’, marginal
to the world of form and substance, still spirit with unlimited potential and endless possibilities. Not yet
encumbered with possessions or weighed down by earthy attachments the Fool is free to explore the new
worldinfront ofhim. TheFool personifies theconceptionandemergence ofanewpathofbeing.
Uranus is the cosmic spirit that guides the Fool. Sudden and unexpected, disembodied and future-directed,
energetically Uranus uproots the past to make way for progress. Preferring spiritual ideals and altruistic
principles the individual is inspired to take a risk and rebel against the status quo. Uranian energy
disengages from attachments seeking a world of perfection, possibility and utopia. Craving freedom and
space in the environment, the Uranian atmosphere often feels cold and disconnected. Separation is a
hallmark of this archetype; its urge to progress and willingness to jump into new adventures is far greater
than its need to remain static. While this need to separate is motivated by the urge to discover the self,
others may experience it as pushing away, disengaging, cutting off or being aloof. Attachments, routines
and possessions are becoming liberated. Uranian separation is not necessarily literal as in a separation
from a person, a place or a career. More often the separation is from old habits and programs, past
thought patterns and ways of being, generally experienced as a relief since it liberates time and energy to
pursue new paths. When Uranus unexpectedly bursts into our life it significantly alters our everyday
reality. While the journey may often feel like a roller coaster ride the path that unfolds leads to greater
self-awareness andauthenticity.
Until the late eighteenth century Saturn marked the boundary of our Solar System. In 1781 amidst an
atmosphere of revolution the planet Uranus was discovered heralding a new order of science, industryand
technology. Like the Fool, Uranus is marginal to the pack of visible planets. When the Fool appears it
suggests a new age filled with unexpected changes, a fresh start with challenges lying ahead. The
atmosphere is charged with the electricity of excitement and the thrill of adventure. Anything is possible.
TheFool suggests aturningpoint andabeginning.
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I THE MAGICIAN: The Mercurial Guide
Leadingthesequenceof theMajorArcanais the Magician. Traditionallythis cardevolved from an earlier
depiction of a juggler and conjurer into later images of a magus and shaman, two extremes of Mercury,
thequicksilvermessengerof theGods. Astrologicallytheplanet Uranus is referredto thehigheroctaveof
Mercury as both govern the intellect and its powers. However, Mercury’s sphere is not as altruistic, often
fraught with trickery, mischief and sleight of hand. Mercury initiates the Fool into the game of life by
endowing him with the skills necessary not only to play, but also to outwit his opponents. At hand are
Mercury’s numerous gifts tonavigatethenewterritory.
The Magician highlights the need to become conscious of goals as well as the will, ingenuity and intellect
needed to pursue them. As thief, trickster, boundary-crosser and master of the occult, mythological
Mercury has guided the evolution of knowledge from the magic-wielding seers of antiquity through the
wonder-working alchemists of the Middle Ages to the artificial intelligence used today. With knowledge
we inform ourselves, become more conscious of our goals and masterful with our creations. This is the
Magician’s role and when he appears it suggests time to take charge of our life by consciously creating
somethingout ofthepossibilities surroundingus.
Astrologically Mercury is associated with the process of learning, communicating, and the sharing of
ideas. It rules Gemini and Virgo, which reflects the duality and dexterity of Mercury’s approach to
learning. Gemini is the quicksilver ability to gather and adapt ideas while Virgo digests and analyses the
information into a coherent formula. Along with other intellectual processes such as rationale, logic,
reflection and communication, the Magician’s skill helps us understand our motives and urges, not solely
reliant on instinctual and subjective responses. Mercury encourages objectification so separation can lead
into a broader social network. His skill guides us to the right place. When the Magician appears it
stresses the need to be objective and conscious of the path ahead. Mercury is never static, always in
motionandit is necessarytobeflexibleandopentogeneratethepowertomoveforward.
As a patron of youth Mercuryas Magician reminds us that we are filled with possibilities and the power to
pursue them. With his knowledge of herbs, healing and hypnosis his caduceus is also his magician’s
wand used to induce a trance. But now his wand heralds the new possibilities that lay ahead for the
traveler. This card signals the momentum of a new phase filled with youthful spirit and synchronicity. A
creativeprocess is underfoot andthegodMercuryis readyto guideus across thethresholdofchange.
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II THE HIGH PRIESTESS: The Inner Mysteries of Moon
Mercury is the hermetic guide to the threshold of the inner world. At the portal is the High Priestess, the
spirit of the Moon. Astrological wisdom has always linked the guiding principles of Mercury and the
Moon together as co-rulers of the mind. Both are lifelong guides; Mercury informs the way we
communicate to the world around us, while the Moon remembers every nuance of the human experience.
Mercury recalls the outer journey while the Moon records our inner biography. Contained by the Moon
are the mysteries of life: what has past, what underlies the present and what destiny lies ahead of us. Like
the Moon, the High Priestess governs the night, the dark world whose wisdom is revealed through dreams,
feelings, responses, intuitions and visions, reaching underneath the corporeal world and beyond linear
time.
The Moon religiously records, reflects and reveals each heartbeat, every breath and nuance of primitive
life as it moves through its monthly phases. It is the memory bank for everything we have ever wanted,
touched,tasted,smelt,thebarometerof ourfeelings, the receptacleof repressedtraumas, thetouchstoneof
our earliest impressions. Throughout life the Moon absorbs the imprints of the veiled world, representing
the feeling memory embedded in our emotional responses, somatized in our bodies and personified
through our dreams. Therefore the oracle of the High Priestess is encoded in our feelings and moods, our
aches and pains, muscular tension, headaches, stress and revealed through dream images and symbols.
She speaks the poetic language of the soul through image, story, myth, symbol and metaphor, unveiling
herself when we engage in her mystery and uncertainty. The High Priestess honors this way of knowing
throughthe wisdom ofthebodyandits cycles, as well as throughintuitionandfeelingresponses.
Lunar wisdom is instinctual, born from knowing moods and cycles. Therefore the appearance of the High
Priestess encourages this path of knowing by being attentive and receptive. Prepare a space to invite
insight by quieting the self. Dialogue with the inner world of symbol and fantasy, explore the image of
the dream, and acknowledge your intuition and responses. On an oracular level the appearance of the
High Priestess invites us to be more aware of symbols and signs, feeling responses, bodily aches and
pains, emotional reactions, mood swings, in general the inner life. Insight and revelations are aspects of
the High Priestess and the card suggests you will become more aware of the right path by listening to the
innervoice.
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III THE EMPRESS: The Bountiful World of Venus
In the astrological pantheon the personal feminine is symbolised by the Moon and Venus, archetypal
symbols that personify the anima; the Moon being Mother, Caretaker and Provider while Venus reflects
the Other, Sister, Lover, Equal. The Moon represents first love or mother love, attachment figures and
nurturers, while Venus’ urge is equal love, based on her desires and values. Developmentally the Moon
governs infancy and childhood while Venus rules the transition into puberty when passions are awoken
and independence flourishes. Appropriately Venus governs the Empress, the card following the lunar
domainoftheHighPriestess.
As goddess of love, sexuality and beauty, Venus’ origins are rooted in the Near East. To the Greeks she
was Aphrodite whose cult of worship was brought to Cyprus bythe seafaringPhoenicians. While her cult
was imported she became uniquely Greek, a goddess who often conflicted with the emerging culture and
tradition. Later the Romans claimed Venus as their patroness beingmother to Aeneas, the ancient founder
of Rome. In Greece she was known as Aphrodite Urania, who represented heavenly and spiritual love as
well as AphroditePandemos,thegoddess ofphysical andsensual love.
Astrologically we see the duality of Venus represented by her domiciles of earthy Taurus and heavenly
Libra. Taurus carries the earthy, sensual, fertile and resourceful sides of the goddess while Libra reflects
her heavenlysides of culture and beauty. United in her image theyreflect her passion for beauty, love and
life and the Empress embraces this duality. Her heavenly side inspires peace and tranquillity easing
differences through reconciliation and acceptance, demanding equality and harmony. Attending the
goddess is her emissary Eros. As the force of love Eros bursts into our lives to change the way we relate
and share. Once struck by one of his arrows nothing will ever be the same! Similarly, the Empress
symbolises analchemical process of change as she passionatelytransforms anysituationshe encounters.
Venus as mother of Aeneas and Eros also represents motherhood, another aspect of the Empress. The
card may signify maternal urges or represent a mother figure or nurturing atmosphere. As Empress,
Venus represents the spectrum of mature femininity encompassing the desire for pleasure and abundance
accompanied by responsibility for what she creates. The Empress asks the question “what area of your
life needs abundance, fertilityand creativity?” She also points toa relationship which needs nurturingand
love. On an oracular level the Empress predicts a phase of growth and abundance, a desire to be creative
andanurgetobeinvolvedbothphysicallyand cerebrally.
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IV THE EMPEROR: Aries and the Mythic Motif of Kingship and Conquest
Aries, the leading sign of the zodiac, derives its inspiration from the constellation of the Ram, the
archetype underpinning the Emperor. Egyptian myths connected this constellation with their ram-god,
Ammon. Later the Greeks associated Ammon with Zeus, their kingly god and Emperor of the Olympian
deities. Even the early Christians likened the ram of Aries to the Lamb of God, personified as Christ, the
Kingofkings. A richmythictraditionassociates theram ofAries withsupremacyandkingship.
When the tropical zodiac was systematized in the 2nd Century BCE the zodiacal year began at the vernal
equinox in Aries. To the ancients the Vernal Equinox marked the rise of spring, fertility, and the
reanimation of life. The equinox in the stars of Aries paralleled the gradual triumph of masculine values
during the Roman Empire. The mythic founder of the Roman Empire was Romulus, the son of Mars, the
ruler of Aries. Unconsciouslythe powerful mythic ram of Aries had been woven into the character of the
emperor, the god-like king. Earlier when the Greeks assigned a myth to this zodiacal constellation, they
retold the story of Jason’s quest for its Golden Fleece. Aries is a heroic sign and associated with the
Emperorsuggests thequest ofindividuation.
Jason’s birthright of kingship was taken away from him, which led him to his destiny. . Like the mythic
hero we mayneed to quest to reclaim this heritage. Hence this card suggests that a particular sphere of our
lives may need control or governing. When this card appears the unconscious is acknowledging the
necessitytoestablish authorityintheouter world bytakingcommandofa situationneedingdirection.
To continue on the path of individuation a strong ego is necessary in order to take control of the external
forces and anchor ourselves in the world. To be in charge of our destiny we need to develop our authority
and leadership backed by the pillars of our own internal wisdom and unique psychological makeup. On
an oracular level the card may be referring to a particular situation that needs management or control,
where we may need to be more focused and authoritative. Drawing this card suggests the unconscious
aspects of the present situation need to be more aligned with the ego-identity and its desires. With this
card we are given permission to have dominion over the current situation and are empowered to be in
control. However, like the Arian temperament we need to be more adventuresome, confronting and
assertivetotrulybecome emperorofthesituation.
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V THE HIEROPHANT: The Powerful Bull of Taurus
The Hierophant brings the mythic pattern of Taurus and the bull, the most revered and powerful animal in
Indo-European myth, to light. Throughout Mediterranean cultures the bull was a symbol of potency,
wealth, strength and sexuality. For the Babylonians the Great Bull of Heaven represented power and
fertility and for the ancient Greeks and Egyptians it was an important sacrificial animal. Greek myths
includedmanybulls especiallythose connectedtothesuccessive generations ofthedynastyofCrete.
Underneath the Cretan palace, hidden in a labyrinthine chamber, was the Minotaur, the shameful shadow
of the Minoan clan. Two generations earlier, Zeus shape shifted into a beautiful white bull to seduce the
young Phoenician princess Europa. Possessed with desire to know the bull, Europa climbed upon its
back. Slowly he took her step-by-step across the meadow towards the sea and with the power of a great
god the bull strode the waves. Europa clung tightly as she rode farther and farther away from her
homeland. Zeus had made his conquest. He took Europa as his lover, fathering three children byher; one
was Minos the founder of the Cretan dynasty. To bless the new dynastyPoseidon lavished a sacred white
bull on Minos. The bull was so regal and powerful, Minos decided not to sacrifice it to the gods and
substituted another prized white bull. Outraged at the deceit Poseidon placed a curse on the house of
Minos. His wife fell pregnant and gave birth to the monstrous Minotaur, who had the head of a bull and
the body of a man. Filled with shame, Minos built a labyrinth in the depths of the palace to hide the
monster. TheTaureanbull locates theintersectionofourspiritual heritage andworldlydesires.
Greed and failure to respect the laws of the gods produced a monster that had to be buried beneath the
surface of the family. Buried shame, repressed trauma, unexpressed grief that lurks beneath the family
atmosphere eventually surfaces, often through the next generation. This became evident through the fate
of Minos’ daughters Ariadne and Phaedra whose earthy passions and desires expressed the bull archetype
of Taurus. Yet, mysteriously underpinning the Bull is the Hierophant, the priest who reveals the sacred
mysteries. He under-stands the great Bull that abducts us into the pleasures of the outer world, the desires
of the body and the rapture of our passions. Behind the feelings of shame, worthlessness, and self-
incrimination is the Hierophant, the ancient one whose essence centers our passions, secures our self-
doubt and distills our worldly experience. The Hierophant is the inner priest, mentor or spiritual father
who initiates us into the quest for self-knowledge, beckoning us to journey beyond our comfort zone. On
an oracular level the appearance of the card illuminates the necessityto channel our passions towards self-
knowledgeandunderstandingwhileremaininggroundedintheworld.
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VI THE LOVERS: Gemini’s Search for the Twin Soul
Gemini is the first zodiacal experience of another and the appearance of this card focuses on equal
relationships be it a twin, a soul mate, a sibling, a partner or a friend. The card reveals the need to be
mindful of relationships, aware of the sense of separateness, and cognizant of different agendas within
partnerships.
Two stars in the constellation of Gemini, Castor and Pollux, have been recognised as a pair for nearly
eight millennia. The twin stars inspire this constellation with the numinous image of twins, an archetypal
motif throughout comparative mythologies. Pollux, the divine twin, is the brighter star; Castor is less
bright, reflecting his mortal stature in Greek myth. Their story of fraternal love, devotion and loss
engender Gemini with a deep awareness of the pain of attachment and separation. Central to the Greek
myth is the motif of the powerful bond of love between the twins Castor and Pollux. As young men they
were inseparable. However when Castor was mortally wounded the painful truth of their individual
destinies was revealed. Mortal Castor must die whereas Pollux’s divine blood rendered him immortal.
Pollux’s grief at his loss was so intense he felt he could no longer live. The twins, once fused and bonded
together, were now eternally separate echoing the devastating impact of consciousness that Gemini
describes. However the myth offers another suggestion: consciousness of differences has been awoken
facilitatingthetwin’s experienceoftheopposites withinthemselves.
The twin motif was so important that the Greeks deified Apollo and Artemis, twin souls who were closely
attached to each other. To the ancients the relationship of brother-sister was also a template for love,
devotion and marriage. Hera received a special dispensation to marryher brother Zeus. When the Lovers
card is chosen the consciousness of partnership and equality will be awoken; however, this will also be
accompanied by a sense of separateness, duality and individuality. The Lovers reveals a reflection on our
relationship patterns and their complexities. While we may be looking for a soul mate to reflect our own
self we need to become aware of the compulsions underlying this longing. In order for the choice about a
relationship to be made we first must feel the conflict and opposition in ourselves. On an oracular level
the card may predict that a relationship will fulfill our urge for an equal; however, both the joy and the
painofrelatingmaybeignited. Onaninner level it reflects paradox,dualityand separateness,alertingthe
individual to find a balance rather than swing back and forth between the poles of separateness and
togetherness. Withthe Lovers aninnersynthesis ofsoul andbodyis takingplace,whichmaybe projected
out ontorelationship.
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VII THE CHARIOT: Cancer, the Mother and the Hero
The Chaldeans named the constellation of Cancer ‘the Gate of Men’ since theybelieved it represented the
entrancewayfor souls to incarnate into their human bodies. From an ancient perspective it was associated
with a type of womb, albeit a metaphysical one. To the Greeks the constellation of Cancer was the crab
Hera elevated into the night sky for its service to the goddess during Heracles’ battle with the Hydra.
During Heracles’ second labor, associated with the sign of Cancer, the hero confronts the overwhelming
dark force of the feminine by confronting the monstrous water snake polluting the fertile plains of the
Argolid. While Heracles was in the midst of battling the Hydra a fierce crab, sent by Hera, began to
attack him. The crab bit at his feet and ankles trying to divert Heracles’ attention from the Hydra. Heroic
Heracles was able to obliterate the crab bysquashing it under foot while still engaging the Hydra’s wrath.
Ironically Hera was the hero’s fiercest adversary, yet Heracles, the name given to him by the Delphic
oracle, means the glory of Hera. Heracles’ fate is forever interlinked with Hera. Their antagonistic
relationship ironically spurred him on to become the greatest hero and at the end of the Herculean myth
Hera actuallybecomes his mother-in-law.
WhileweastrologicallyknowCancer as thenurturer, thecaringmother andthefamilial alembic,Cancer’s
myth reminds us of another dimension of this archetype. Here in the swamps of the unconscious lay a
darker, foreboding feminine presence that the hero must behead. The myth describes the heroic skill
needed to face the terror and wrath of negative attachments. Cancer is the first water sign of the zodiac
and addresses the primal, archaic and deeply unconscious fear and trepidation of facing emotional
darkness. Yet this side embodied by the Hydra and her helpmate, the crab, actually inspires heroism. At
the ‘Gate of Men’ or the Hydra’s swamp, Cancer constellates a darkly womb out of which we emerge,
hopefullyheroically.
The Chariot calls to the heroic aspect of ourselves to challenge the monsters that stand in our way. When
the Chariot appears the individual may feel dependent or stuck in a situation that feels anti-heroic or non-
creative. To initiate the momentum to move heroically towards a new horizon the individual must
relinquish old attachments. When the card of the Chariot appears the unconscious is appealing to the
inner hero to use will and strength to confront an old emotional situation. On an oracular level the card
suggests that it is imperative to take rein of the emotional life and purposely direct it forward. Inertia
needs to be overcome to glimpse a new horizon of possibilities. This initiatory process is like leaving
home,lettinggoofa wornout securityblanket or givingupanoldhabit!
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VIII STRENGTH: Leo, the Lion Hearted Heroine
‘King of the beasts’ is a common epithet for the lion, the totem emblematic of royalty since antiquity.
From the earliest records Leo, the heavenly lion, has been associated with royalty, the Sun and strength.
Traditionally the card Strength depicts a young woman taming a lion, contrasting the brute force of the
lion’s body with the innocence of the virginal spirit. This combination of virgin and lion were united in
various cultures’ iconography and reflected in the constellations, Leo and Virgo, which are side-by-side
on the ecliptic. In Egypt the Sphinx represented the amalgam of the lion’s body with the virgin’s face.
RepresentingthevirgintamingthelioninGreek mythis thehuntress Atalanta.
Atalanta had been warned by the Delphic oracle not to marry. Virginity was a mythic prerequisite for her
to remain skilled as a warrior and huntress and to be true to her essential self. Mindful of the oracle’s
warning she agreed to marriage only if she lost a foot race against a suitor. Skilled at running fast,
Atalanta was able to defend herself against marriage until the day that she fell in love. The love was
mutual, as Hippomenes had also fallen in love with Atalanta having asked Aphrodite for help. The
goddess granted the petition giving Hippomenes three golden apples along with instructions on how he
should use them in the race. Each apple was to be thrown in the path of Atalanta. As she stopped to pick
them up Hippomenes was able to gain speed eventually winning the race and marrying her. However, in
their first moment of passion the lovers forgot to sacrifice to Aphrodite. In her wrath the goddess
transformed the lovers into lions and yoked them to her chariot. Losing contact to her ‘virginal’ aspect
meant Atalanta had lost control of the fierce instincts of the lion that were now tied to the goddess’
chariot. DuringLeo’s first phaseoflove wemight loseoursenseofself,but themythof Atalantareminds
us that will power can both control and utilise the instincts to develop the self. Generally emblematic of
moral strength, control of the instincts and confidence, the Fool’s journeyhas come to the stage where self
control andwill arenecessaryforthejourneyforward.
Atalanta’s myth also speaks of the disempowerment when self is lost in relationship. Leo represents
adolescent love or the experience of being in love. Underlying Leo is often a broken heart or the loss of
innocence brought about by the pain of first love. The card of Strength implies the need to manage
narcissistic feelings for we cannot afford to be devoured byinfantile rage, hurt or shame. On a divinatory
level this card implies the individual is experiencing an initiation into their own strength by finding the
will and courage to contain difficult and dark feelings. The card suggests that these feelings are to be
confrontedina feminine waybybefriendingandtamingtheoutrageandhurt.
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